Ray Dunaway On Fatherhood

So what to say about Father’s Day? Quite a bit, but there’s a problem. Fathers, in my experience are guys, and guys don’t talk about their feelings, even now, as we bid farewell to the golden Age of Oprah. Some other guy here on the site wrote a short piece about fatherhood, and some of the wonderful memories it brings-
and it does.
The first solo bike ride, playing catch, teaching your son or daughter to drive, the first steps taken, a birthday cake smeared everywhere, (we’re not in chronilogical order here, except for my oldest son, Joseph, who did things in exactly that order)
There are, needless-to-say, many more marvelous memories
But if you haven’t been a dad yet, don’t let the good distract you from a few not-so-good things.
You must be prepared
You’ll invariably:
Meet an insurance adjuster somewhere along the way
learn the medical terms for one, or several of the bones in the human arm or foot
You’ll definitely make a late-night call to the pediatrician for what will turn out to be nothing at all (“but it seemed really serious! Really!)
and come closer to God, as you pray that your daughter will tire of the “Mr. Wonderful” that took her to the prom.
You know- the guy that had enough piercings to qualify for the TSA’s no-fly list.
If you have sons, there’s a 20-30 percent chance that around the mid-teen years, you’ll be called to the town police station to pick up the heir to the family fortune once, thanks to some bonehead stunt he pulled. There’s a 99 percent chance it won’t be anything serious, but you’ll need to play “scared straight”
If you have a daughter, there’s a 95 percent chance that somewhere around the age of 13 your house will come to resemble the battleground at Vicksburg as your lovely wife and precious daughter work through the arduous process of defining their relationship. You will be in the middle; sorry , you won’t be able to avoid it. Depending on the state of play,
your daughter will consider you the most wonderful “daddy” on Earth, or
the reincarnation of Saddam Hussein.
Just let it roll. It does get better.
But after all is said and done, being a Dad is worth every small aggravation.
And as you enter your golden years, and your kids have children of their own
You’ll see them deal with exactly what you dealt with.
With the good things, you can share in the joy
With the bad things, you can send them home.